View full sizeBenjamin Brink/The OregonianMayor Sam Adams at Lane Middle School talking with staff and students.

Days after meeting with local officials from wind-farm company Iberdrola Renewables, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and the chairman of the city's urban renewal agency will make a rushed trip today to Spain to meet with top executives in hopes of retaining the company's North American headquarters.

Fast-growing Iberdrola moved its headquarters in 2003 to the Pearl District's Brewery Blocks. Recently, the company has been weighing local options for a possible move -- but with no guarantee it will remain in Portland. Iberdrola's local leases at two buildings expire in 2013.

The four-day trip to Madrid comes after Adams and representatives from the Portland Development Commission toured the company's local offices for two hours Thursday, meeting with President Ralph Currey. Eager to retain the more than 350 jobs tied to the company, city leaders asked to meet with Spanish executives, who have the final say on North American operations.

Portland officials had planned to drop into Spain in late March or early April as part of a European business trip. But they opted to travel sooner, hoping to show their desire to retain Iberdrola and build on the city's thriving national reputation as a green hub.

They will meet Thursday with Xabier Viteri, the chief executive for parent company Iberdrola Renovables. Andrews said he hopes to secure a commitment to keep Iberdrola in Portland but at a minimum sees the trip as an opportunity to talk with a key decision maker.

"A successful trip would be a 'Yes, we are absolutely focused on Portland, and we really appreciate that you see us as an important part of the Portland landscape, and we look forward to working with you to find a long-term headquarters,'" Andrews said Tuesday.

But Andrews said he also has heard rumors that Iberdrola could consider moving its American headquarters. The company, with about 850 employees nationwide, has offices in Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago and the Philadelphia area.

Andrews said Iberdrola could decide in the next two months. "It's one of the things we want to confirm," he said. "You do hear rumors. There's nothing like the opportunity to sit across from decision makers and ask questions." The trip will cost about $5,000, according to the PDC.

Iberdrola's headquarters include the legal, technology and human resources departments, support functions and the company's national control center that monitors its power grids.

With about 85,000 square feet of space, the company has been weighing local options for possible expansion. Top contenders could include the U.S. Bancorp Tower or several proposed office buildings, including Tom Moyer's Park Avenue West, Gerding Edlen's 11 West, or Jim Winkler and Bob Naito's One Waterfront Place.

Iberdrola's employees like working in Portland, said Jan Johnson, a company spokeswoman. Beyond that, she declined to discuss relocation options locally or nationally.

"Real estate negotiations are confidential," she said. "We're just not talking about specifics."

Iberdrola Renewables, formerly PPM Energy, is the oldest of the renewable energy development firms in Portland. It started as a subsidiary of PacifiCorp, which was a subsidiary of ScottishPower. PPM employed 12 people when it was spun off from the utility company in 2001. The company's staff members have deep local ties, which could make a headquarters move more difficult.

PPM remained part of ScottishPower when PacifiCorp was sold in 2006 and became part of the Spanish company when Iberdrola bought ScottishPower that year.

Iberdrola has been an aggressive developer of wind farms in the United States, where it has more than 4,600 megawatts of wind power installed. It has been the most active developer in the Columbia River Gorge, and the company also owns natural gas storage facilities and a natural gas-fired power plant in Klamath Falls.

"Our reputation and position in that world matters," said Patrick Quinton, who manages economic development for specific business and industries at the PDC. "I do think we feel like we have a leg up, in addition to them already being here."